The Beginning of a New Year

Wednesday, January 3, 2024

I missed the actual sunrise this morning. By the time I looked out the sun was up over the mountains sending its light out between the clouds. As I write this the clouds have won for the moment and the desert is in the shadow of those clouds. Though, that will change throughout the day and each time there is an opening in the clouds the mountains and desert floor will be in beautiful light enhanced by the darkness of the clouds. It is a beautiful show the sun. the blue sky, and the clouds put on for us each day! 

The sun making its way up through the clouds

and bringing some light to the desert and mountains.

Then about 5 minutes later the sun found a larger opening
in the clouds, thing change quickly,

and the desert 

was in bright sunlight.

After coffee this morning Tom took a ride over to the rest stop just west of us on I-8. Our fresh water tank was getting low and our garbage needed to be gone both of which can be accomplished there. After he finished refilling our fresh water tank we headed into Yuma to take care of some errands. 

Turning onto Ogilby Road and looking over towards the dunes
it looks like rain may be coming our way.

I often take pictures of the beautiful green fields of vegetables
as we are driving along. Today we passed a couple of trucks
hauling those vegetables.
The bottom left is through a very dirty windshield.  

Our first stop was at the Sam's Club to make sure our membership would not automatically renew this year. We have found some good bargains with the membership but living in a motorhome fulltime not that many of the purchases are practical because of the amount of items in a package and usually if it is a single item the size is a factor.  After that was taken care of we made a few purchases before heading to our next stop. We had an order to pick up at an Amazon Locker and several General Delivery Packages at the Post Office. 

Leaving Yuma the clouds in the sky were beautiful and the closer we got to home as the sun was setting the prettier the sky got. 

Middle picture: the sun light reflecting off the wet payment.
Bottom picture: we are parked over by those mountains.

On Ogilby Road the clouds over the mountains

and the sun setting as we make our way home.

We have left Ogilby Road and our making our way 
across the desert to the place we are presently calling home.

The color in the clouds was beautiful.

There a little green leaves on the 
Ocotillos!

We are home and the colors over the mountains to the east

and the last of the sun's light to the west.

It was a good day we accomplished what we wanted to get done and though we did not sit outside for either a Coffee Hour or a Happy Hour with our neighbors we did chat with everyone at some point. There is a plan in place for tomorrow.

Tuesday, January 2, 2024

We were up before the sun this morning and as I write this Ken and Tom have been gone for a couple of hours. They are off to San Diego to tour the USS Midway Aircraft Carrier Museum. I am going to just go ahead and say I am sure they will have a great day together and will come back with a few stories about their day. That will be Tom's Blog to write. 

As for me as I write this I am enjoying a mug of coffee that Tom made before he left. Though I did venture out to take some pictures of the sunrise before sitting down with my first mug. (FYI: I did right this Tuesday morning. I just never finished the blog and post it.)

I could see the sun light just at the top of the mountains
and starting to light up the floor of the desert

as it popped up over the Cargo Muchacho Mountains.

As the sun moves up in the sky all the bushes 

sparkle in the sunlight

and shadows stretch across the desert floor.

The sun is now above the Jeep...lol as I made my way back inside.

Turning around in the doorway it I took this picture of the moon.

Between the sunrise above and the sunset below. We, Deb, Kim, Keith, and I, sat outside during a short coffee hour. Then after lunch Kim and I drove into Yuma to check out Marshalls for any sales or things we just could not do without...lol  Back home we, the same group as above, sat out for Happy Hour. Keith left then Kim while Deb and I sat out until the sun had set before heading inside. Always nice to sit and just enjoy the company of friends.

Sunset on January 2, 2024

It was dark when Ken and Tom pulled back in after their day's adventure. Listening to Tom it sounds like they had a good day. 

Monday, January 1, 2024

We started the New Year sitting out with our neighbors toasting with mimosas. There are no pictures besides the two I posted in my last blog of the sunrise. Later in the day everyone, Deb, Riley, Kim, Ken, and Keith joined us inside the Stinger "B" for dinner. I made meat pies and they added side dishes. It was a lovely evening filled with conversation along with some laughter and the sun had set before everyone left. Looking back as I write this I wish I had taken a couple of pictures yet at the same time I know the memories of this evening will always be in my minds eye whenever I think of this time parked in this beautiful place with special friends. 

(Side Note: Our convection oven has not worked for a while, it is being replaced next week, so the meat pies were cooked inside the Igloo and the Journey.)

A Step Back in Time For Our Memory Book
The Last Day of 2023

Sunday, December 31, 2023

We were up and driving into Yuma for 7:30 Mass at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church before the sun was up this morning. Though its light was visible as we drove along the actual sunrise happened after we were in church. 

Top Picture: we have turned on to Ogilby Road
Middle Picture: stopped for a train
Bottom Picture: on I-8 we can see Pilot Knob Peak

Top Picture: on I-8 we caught up to the train

This is a beautiful church filled with stain glass windows of the Blessed Virgin Mary! Their Christmas Decorations were wonderful. They had a lovely Manger placed in the front of the church and there were several decorated trees and wreaths throughout the church along with a lot of poinsettias. They certainly put a lot of time and effort into making everything look beautiful.

The Altar area is filled with poinsettias.
Bottom Pictures: These panels are on the left and right side
of the door which opens up to the center aisle of the church.

Later in the day we gathered for champagne, courtesy of Brenda and John, and snacks during Happy Hour which extended into the darkness around a campfire. 

Top Picture: the champagne and food.
Middle Pictures: Kim, Keith, Ken, and Tom
Bottom Picture: John, Brenda, Riley, and Deb

As the sun was going down the views towards the mountains
was beautiful.

 

Last Sunset of 2023

Then we were treated to a beautiful show of color in the sky. The afterglow tonight was fantastic and as good of a job as the camera on my phone did picking up the color it never quite matches the beauty the eyes see.

There was golden yellow in the clouds
with touches of orange towards the west

and a softer color over the mountains.

Then the clouds began to pick up a deeper golden color with
more touches of orange.

Our neighborhood in the afterglow.

Before fading back to grey the 
orange glowed a deeper color.

Then we moved our chairs around the firepit where our conversations and laughter continued while the inky darkness of the night slowly engulfed us. 

Middle Picture: Keith and Tom working on getting the fire
started while Ken supervised.

As the fire began to die down it was time to say goodnight and wish each other a Happy New Year as we parted ways for our homes. It was somewhat bittersweet as we were also saying, see you down the road to Brenda and John. They are off on a new adventure in the morning. It has been wonderful having them join us for the occasional Happy Hour. When you read someone's blog you get to know a lot about them and when you meet in person it is like you are meeting an old friend. The conversation is easy; it is like you are catching up with that friend you have not seen in awhile. While at the same time you are getting to know them a little better. Then, if you are lucky, that friendship will bring you back together over the years of travel. There are no goodbyes just see you down the road and be safe until we cross paths again. 

Together in the company of friends was a very good way to end 2023 and begin 2024!

We are looking forward to the year ahead of us and the adventures it will bring. We pray for joy, happiness, good health, and peace for all our family, friends, and ourselves as we all venture into the unknown that is 2024.

.

We are glad you stopped by!

If you have time to leave a comment we would enjoy hearing from you.

We Moved on Monday and The Last Two Days Parked Off of Ogilby Road.

We arrived here to the Roadrunner BLM near Quartzsite, Arizona on Monday. The wind and cold has pretty much been with us since late Monday. Though as I write this the wind has now calmed quite a bit. Plus it looks like there is a chance for some warmer weather this weekend. Not really complaining, well maybe a little bit...😎,  mostly recording the weather for future reference. 

Monday, February 13, 2023 (Moving Day)

Up before the sun today because the goal was to have the wheels rolling by 8 o'clock and surprisingly as we pulled out I looked at the clock and it was 7:56AM. Deb and Riley pulled out ahead of us and we thought Doug was behind us. Come to find out later in the day he had not even started up the White Lion when we pulled away. The White Lion did start and he did make it to Roadrunner so I guess you can say all is well that ends well. We saw the Dogsled pulling the Igloo into the Chevron by Pilot Knob, Deb was stopping to dump there, as we went by on I-8. We continued on to Quartzsite we needed propane, fresh water and did have to dump and Tom decided to do it all here. 

As you can see from the picture below we did not see a sunrise this morning. The clouds to the east and north of us looked dark. Not our favorite type of day to travel but there was a prediction for high winds on Tuesday and that would have meant we would not move before Wednesday and for Tom and I it was time to move on.

Top picture is where the sunrise would have been.
Bottom picture is looking to the Northwest.

As we turned onto Ogilby Road we could see the
Imperial Sand Dunes were in the sun.

The sky as we traveled south on Ogilby Road and
then turned on to I-8 was a beautiful combination
of blue, white and dark clouds.

Just past Pilot Knob the Interstate was wet and we could see
evidence they had gotten a downpour not long before we got
there. Lots of puddles in the landscape and along the road.

On US-95 passing through Yuma there are a lot of fields
waiting to be planted, just planted, growing, ready to be
picked, or just picked. 

Passing the Road to the Yuma Proving Grounds and

looking ahead it looks like there could be rain in our future.

I believe these  pictures 

are of the

Castle Dome Mountains.

Not sure about this one. Maybe I should just say I liked
the light and shadows on the mountains as we went by.

Do not remember the last time this 
Border Patrol Checkpoint was open.

I know these are the Kofa Mountains.
The light and dark contrast was so beautiful to see.

Just some pictures of the golden grass, green bushes
and yellow wildflowers as we drove along.

I believe this is part of the Trigo Mountains.

We could see puddles as we drove by.

Kofa Mountains, Palm Canyon is out there.

Looking ahead towards Quartzsite.

Not exactly sure where we are. But the clouds
were adding shadows to the mountains. 

As we waited for the Fresh Water Tank to fill looking 

west out towards Q Mountain the sky is turning a 

beautiful blue.

That was the last picture I took today. We left here, Tumbleweed RV, after filling the fresh water tank and dumping the black tank . Then we head back south to the Roadrunner BLM. Deb and Riley were already there and after unhooking the Little Black Limo from the Stinger "B" Riley agreed to come along with me and help find the right spot for us all to park. Tom and I are the only ones of the group that has parked out in this area in the past. After checking out three spots, one was filled, we have parked at in the past Riley liked the first spot we checked out and I agreed so we and went back to the entrance to lead the Igloo and Stinger "B" to what would be our home for a while. Deb has some nice pictures of the area in her blog, On a long and lonesome highway...

We all parked and were getting pretty much settled in when I received a text from Shirley stating they, her and Ken were following Doug, were just about to La Paz Valley Road. So Deb jumped in with me and we headed out to the road to show them the way in. We had a slight miscommunication about where to stop at the entrance but in no time we were all headed to our spot in the desert.  Once the Mansion and the WL got settled in it was time for Happy Hour. The sun helped keep us warm and we chatted away until eventually the cool air chased us all into our own homes.  

We did have a few sprinkles on the drive here today but in the end we had blue sky and sun. It is a wonderful feeling to look out the windows and see friends parked close by. Plus, we are looking forward to spending time with other friends parked down the road. It is a good life.

Saturday, February 11, 2023

Today we decided to make one last trip to Los Algodones. I did have some glasses I had new lenses put in to pick up but other wise we were just planning on enjoying the day. Doug decided not to come today and he talked about that in his blog, Miss Adventure Travels. The rest of us, Deb, Riley, Tom and I,  piled into the "Little Black Limo" about 10 o'clock to make our way to the border.

None of us had ever gone into Los Algodones on a Saturday so needless to say encountering a long line of cars just after going over the All American Canal was a surprise. Algodones Road, is two lanes and until we got closer we did not realize this line of cars we were in, for the most part, was not going into the parking area but crossing the border. 

The middle picture is where we joined the line. The upper right
was a little farther down and the line was not a short one. 
The bottom left one I took when we left at about 4:30.
 Though not as long the line was still moving forward slowly.

We had an enjoyable day and though not as quiet as Sunday definitely not overly crowded with people. Plus, everything seems to be open on Saturday. We enjoyed a couple of adult beverages, spent some money on things we decided we needed as we walked by the many vendors, and enjoyed lunch. After lunch Deb, Riley and I went and enjoyed a pedicure; Tom decided to skip this part of the day. What a wonderful experience the young woman who did mine did a really nice job. The best part of the day was enjoying it with friends. Just like the previous Sunday there was no real line to speak of coming out and we were soon on our way home.

We were greeted by Yuma when we pulled back in and he did seem happy to see us. Doug joined us and we sat out for a short Happy Hour.  We shared our day and he shared his. When the sun started to go down the chill of the evening sent us all inside to the warmth of our homes.  

The sun leaving and taking its warmth with it.

The truth is the truth and the truth is it was a wonderful day spent with friends. 

Sunday, February 12, 2023

We were both up before the sun this morning and I was having my first cup of coffee chatting with my sister when I looked out and saw the sky turning a bright red/orange. I took the first two pictures then Tom took over and took the rest of the sunrise.

A burst of color to start the day.

This is looking more to the southeast.

The orange changed to a beautiful golden glow.

Then the sun itself popped up over the
Cargo Muchacho Mountains

before slipping behind the clouds.

We left to head into Yuma to attend Sunday Mass not long after the sunrise. After church our next stop was at the Black Bear Diner for breakfast. The middle picture below shows how they handle the waitlist. You can see on the orange line just how many are ahead of you; we started at 12 this morning. I really think this is a great way to handle the waitlist. You are not standing around wondering how long you know exactly where you are in line.

After breakfast we stopped and picked up a curbside order at Walmart then headed home. Tomorrow will be a travel day and though it will be a short one there are things to be packed up and that is what needed to be done when we got back. 

Later we enjoyed a Happy Hour with Deb and Doug. Though Doug was back and forth checking on the Super Bowl Game. Afterwards we hooked up the Jeep and then I took a short walk. I could see the Ocotillo below across the road and it looked green.

When I got up close it did have quite a few tiny green leaves
on its branches.

Then I noticed this one, 

This one did not have any green on it
but I have never seen one so twisted before.

Looking back I can see we are all pretty much ready to
leave in the morning. Happily we are moving
together and so no see you laters, yet...😎

Another Ocotillo starting to get leaves on its branches. 
You can see in the close ups why you should never grab one.

This Ocotillo had branches that were obviously dead but 
they were completely devoid of any thorns.
Then near the base there were branches filled with 
little green leaves.

The sun going down on our last day parked out on BLM land

just off of Ogilby Road for this Adventure.

We all have agreed we have enjoyed our time here but it is time to move on. The days have gone by quickly yet peacefully. This has been a time of enjoying seeing old friends and meeting new ones. A time filled with fun and laughter and enjoying the company of friends who have become very special. Deb has described it as a different type of year for her and Riley and I think that goes for all of us. We all usually spend more time alone then with others and this year it has been just the opposite. Would we change one moment of it? The answer is no because it has been a good different. The days continue to flow one into another just like a slow moving river and they are good. 

One last thought:  This had been our Retirement Dream for a number of years and we never forget just how lucky we are to be enjoying it. One thing we did not realize was how many wonderfully special people we would meet along the way. Looking out the window, Tuesday morning we could see three other rigs nearby, and it was a wonderful reminder of the special friends we have made through these years. Those in the rigs outside our door and many others have made our dream more then we ever thought it would be. 

We are glad you stopped by!

If you have time to leave a comment we would enjoy hearing from you.